Several aspects influence works of art, including context, origin and background. Art can beautify our world, give people a certain feeling and inspire change. Artists offer creative, emotional and intellectual insights into the world, challenge the status quo and influence the masses.
To understand an artist, an art movement or a work of art, you have to determine its background and origins. Different artists have different sources of inspiration and influence. Below are the famous Iranian artists:
1. Newsha Tavakolian
Newsha Tavakolian was born in 1981 and grew up in Tehran. She is an Iranian documentary photographer and photojournalist. At the age of 16, Newsha took a 6-month photography course.
After completing her studies, she became a professional photographer in the Iranian press. Newsha Tavakolian worked for a number of companies:
-National Geographic
-Le Figaro
– The New York Times
– Time magazine
Tavakolian’s work shifted from photojournalism to documentary photography and art. She focused on the social status of middle-class youth. Her series of portraits reveals the isolation and pressures faced by most middle-class youth, especially in Tehran. Most of these young people had no hope for the future.
2. Parastou Forouhar
Parastou Forouhar was born in 1962 in Tehran, Iran. She is a professional installation artist living in Frankfurt, Germany. Forouhar’s artwork focuses on two key items: Islamic fundamentalism and politics in Iran.
Her work has been exhibited in several countries, including the United States, Russia, Germany, Turkey, Iran and England. Forouhar has been featured at a range of art fairs:
– Pi art fair Istanbul
– Brodsky center fair
She was the daughter of a political activist, Parvaneh Forouhar.
Her parents were murdered in 1998 by Iranian intelligence. Parvaneh Forouhar and her brother were not allowed to talk about their parents’ death. Therefore, Forouhar started using her artwork to criticize the government.
In 2012, she was awarded the Sophie Von La Roche Prize in recognition of her artwork, which focused on key issues such as cultural identity, gender and displacement.
3. YZ Kami
YZ Kami was born in 1956 in Iran. Based in New York City, he focuses on expressive portraiture. Kami studied at UC Berkeley and Sorbonne in Paris. There are several sources of inspiration based on Kami’s artwork:
– Egyptian burial portraits
– Figure painting
– Philosophy to explain the relationship between visible and invisible things
– Sufi poetry from the 13th and 14th centuries
Kami is known for using oil paint in his art to achieve a dry and matte surface. To perfect this technique, he spent years experimenting with dry pigments, oils and dust. While Kami’s portraits are popular for their meditative qualities, his political artwork gained more attention.
4. Nazgol Ansarinia
Ansarinia is an interdisciplinary visual artist who was born in 1979 in Iran. She grew up in Tehran. In her artworks she interrogates, dissects and rearranges everyday events, experiences, routines and objects to determine their relationship to society.
Ranging from drawings, videos, installations and sculptures, Ansarinia’s latest art projects represent different ways of understanding the role and responsibility of architecture. She studied at the London College of Communication and the California College of the Arts, where she received her master’s degree.
5. Mohammed-Hossein Mothers
Emad is a contemporary Iranian sculptor. He was born in the year 1957 in Arak, Iran. He creates unique and attractive sculptures with an imaginative approach. Emad invites his audience to look through the artwork and listen to the natural sounds.
His stay in Paris inspired him to think more about events in modern times. Emad’s sculptures also depict the interdependence between different forces. Some of these forces are the correlation between dark and light, day and night, light and weight, as well as empty and full.
6. Tala Madani
Tala Madani was born in 1981 in Tehran, Iran. Her artwork focuses on animations, drawings and paintings. Madani studied political science and fine arts at Oregon State University. She also pursued an MFA degree in painting from Yale University School of Art.
She is known for the cartoonish images in her paintings. Madani puts more emphasis on the relationship between an adult and a child. Most of her work contains satirical humour. Some of her work is included in the Whitney Museum of American Art.
7. Afsarian belief
Iman Afsarian was born in 1974 in Tehran, Iran. He is a realist painter in Iran. Afsarian is the artistic editor, director and author of the Iranian art magazine Herfeh: Honarmand.
Iman Afsarian pursued a bachelor’s degree in painting from Tehran University of Arts. He then went on and studied for a master’s degree in illustration in 2000. Afsarian’s main goal is to promote a realistic, figurative and naturalistic style of painting.
His art collection is located in several countries, including Austria, the United Kingdom, the United States, Iran and Russia. This is because he has participated in numerous exhibitions worldwide. Afsarian uses acrylic and oil for painting and other traditional painting methods.
8. Avish Khebrehzadeh
Khebrehzadeh was born in 1969 in Tehran, Iran. Despite being born in Iran, she lived in the United Kingdom, Madagascar, Italy and the United States. She currently lives and works in Washington, DC. Her travel history inspires our artwork.
Khebrehzadeh’s work reflects a sense of excitement and disruption from her experience in different countries. Her animation, paintings and drawings are connected to her background. Khebrehzadeh studied photography at Corcoran College and painting at Academia Di Belle Arti Di Roma.
9. Mehrdad Afsari
Mehrdad Afsari was born in the year 1977 in Khoy, Iran. He currently lives and works in Tehran. Afsari is a professional video artist, documentary filmmaker and photographer. In addition, he is an active member of the Visual Arts Society in Iran.
Afsari took both BA and MFA in Photography from Tehran University of art. He has held 16 exhibitions to showcase his artwork. In addition, he participated in 80 exhibitions around the world. Some of the countries Afsari has visited during these exhibitions are the United States, Spain, China, Germany, Canada, France, etc.
Conclusion
Despite its challenging and unique socio-political position, Iran ranks among the most prolific countries when it comes to art. Above are the top artists who have transformed works of art in Iran.